Monthly Archives: August 2017

Late August is the time when our local plums – both Canada Plum and Wild Plum – ripen. The quarter-sized fruit of each species may range in color from red to orange to yellow when fully ripened. It’s best to test each for firmness and flavor when picking them to determine whether or not they are truly ripe.

Each species can be found in our local forests, but Wild Plum is the more common. Both species produce more fruit when they receive more direct sunshine. Therefore, forest edges or within thickets with few taller trees are your best bets to find these fruiting tall shrubs.

Growing up in east central Wisconsin, I enjoyed these tasty fruit during my country road bike rides of my youth – sort of a last “taste of summer” before heading back to school.

Whether raw or cooked or baked, I highly recommend these sweetly tart fruit. If you find enough to tempt your culinary skills, consider these recipes –

While continuing my wildflower inventory at Anchor Diamond Park at Hawkwood in the Town of Ballston, I was pleased to discover that the Stonewall Trail is now fully open once again, thanks to the installation of two new bridges near its east end.

THANK YOU volunteers and trail stewards – ALL of your many improvements to ALL of the trails are greatly appreciated!

If you’ve ever sampled a truly ripened Mayapple, you know you want to taste that delicious flavor again. The fruit is aromatic…juicy…tropical. Yet, it likely can be found in the nearest woodland! Soon it will be time to harvest them; do so only if the skin of the fruit is yellow, particularly translucent yellow.

However, those pictured are not ripe yet – fully ripened chokecherries are more purple-black in color, not red. You’ll want to pick them – like any fruit – at peak ripeness for the best flavor. Don’t forego tasting these cherries because of their name, but also don’t sample them raw. They are rather aptly named when eaten raw because of their pucker power. But, when cooked, their unique flavor comes forth. It is my favorite wild cherry.

If you find enough ripe cherries to give them a taste test, I would suggest making a syrup or simple sauce to have over vanilla ice cream or pancakes or waffles. If you are lucky enough to find a sufficient quantity to try a few culinary experiments, then consider these: